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Family Service on Remembrance Sunday!! (December 1989 edition of magazine) When this was first discussed at a P C C meeting I had many doubts in my mind. Would the children be noisy? Should we all be able to get out to the Cenotaph on time? How would older members of our congregation react? How wrong I was to worry. By 10.30 on Remembrance Sunday every pew and chair was occupied and it was standing room only. The children were quiet and well behaved, just as if they realised this was different from a normal Family Service. The service went without a hitch - we did all get out to the Cenotaph on time! The silence outside was remarkable considering the large number of children present. Full marks the Public Address Controllers who, with the aid of our new radio microphones, were able to relay the service from the Cenotaph to the people remaining in church. All my doubts were dispelled about Family Service on Remembrance Sunday. To anyone who stayed away may I say - please come along next year and see for yourself. Who knows, next year we may require speakers in the Meeting Room to accommodate all the people! Phil Johnson Silence Lost (June 1991 edition of magazine) A communicant comments on the noise during communion. "Draw near with faith", he said, "receive the body of Our Lord." I did draw near; at first in flesh when, kneeling down and palms up turned he gave me Christ to eat and drink. And then that journey back in fellowship along the aisle, when eyes drew eyes and secret smiles a welcome gave; a litany of love without a word, since every pleading face became a pointed rubric; what to pray and intercede. I then drew near again; this time inside that personal citadel of silence, to hallow Him I had consumed in faith. But someone battered down my slender door of urgent quiet; invading, blatant sounds of idle conversation. Not sapling children, bright, though ignorant of precious times alone, but hardened trunks of adult growth; themselves fresh back from drawing near. Scripture says: Elijah, man of God, sensed nothing in the fire, or storm, or crashing rocks, but heard it all in that small voice which ravaged him with silence. I also knelt to hear the same, ‘til trampled in those petty words, a dialogue of cost; not His, but theirs… ...of frozen peas and mutton chops! and so was silence lost. A Communicant Confirmation Service (June 1992 edition of magazine) As I try to compose this article, it seems incredible that it is less than a year since we began to attend St. Thomas'. Our 'baptism' as it were, as regular readers of 'Spearhead' will know, was the family service last July. In this article I want to try and concentrate on the recent confirmation classes and the wonderful confirmation service on 28th April with Bishop Henry. Until last September I didn't even know that confirmation classes for adults existed. I was under the misapprehension that you were confirmed at the age of 12/13 or 'missed the boat' as it were. How truly glad I am that I was wrong! It was a visit to an old friend (to give my condolences after the loss of her mother) that made me aware of the existence of adult confirmation. Wendy, like myself, had also only recently become a church attender following the baptism of her baby son, Adam, at St. Mark's Church. As Wendy and I were chatting she told me she was to begin going to confirmation classes and it was this that planted the 'seed in my mind. Consequently the following Sunday I approached Christopher after morning service to ask about classes. Incredibly Christopher had been intending to seek Geoff and myself out that same morning on the same topic - to see if we would be interested in joining the classes due to start in January. Early in January a large group of us met in the meeting room. I think both Christopher and Jonathan were taken by surprise with the response - there were over 30 in the group with some of these seeking to reaffirm their vows. On the Confirmation evening I was in Church, nervously waiting for. the service to begin and thinking back to that first evening. Then, how far away the end of April seemed, but looking back the weeks had just flown by. Where did the time go? Also at that 1st meeting I only knew a dew faces - I knew Jose and Peter Rodgers as Jose and I are in the same baby-sitting circle, and Pauline Latimer I had met for the first time that very morning at 'Coffee Plus'. What basically started off as a room full of strangers I now see as a group of friends. The actual confirmation service I found an incredible, amazing, wonderful occasion. Also very emotional - I wanted to cry throughout the whole evening. I found Arthur's baptism intensely moving - I don't think I was alone in that, I think all the congregation felt the same. The next day I was still on a 'high' and couldn't wait to get to 'Coffee Plus' so I could talk about the evening to Pauline. I think I talked about little else all day - at Coffee Plus' in the morning, Toy Library in the afternoon, at home and then again in the evening at our class at Church. Before the service I was worrying about standing at the front in Church and facing a full congregation - during the rehearsal the night before it hadn't dawned on me that while I stood at the front I would be facing all the Church. However, when that moment came and I did look up I realised that I wasn't merely looking at a sea of faces, but a sea of friendly faces and more importantly many of them were familiar faces. After the service I said to several people that in a way I was sorry that it was all over. Tim Leteve said in reply to this that "it isn't. It 's just beginning". I think those words sum it up beautifully. Jane Smith 9.09 Service (August 1994 edition of magazine) Many of you reading this article may be wondering what 9.09 is all about, while for those of us who have stepped out in faith, although we have some ideas for 9.09 we wait to see what God will show us next. We would like to share with you something of our vision for this new service. Early in our discussions we recognised the importance of creating a sense of community and of enabling greater participation by everyone in all aspects of our worship. This is not only for Sundays but also for the rest of our lives, thus we are looking for a strong degree of commitment from people both to each other as we form the new congregation, and essentially to God. Only in this way will the foundations of 9.09 be secure. 9.09 involves young and old - it's not just for families with young children. Indeed one of the joys when we have met together has been the mixing of people of different ages and from different backgrounds. Creating a new congregation is challenging and exciting though it also creates uncertainty and fear as we move out from the familiar into something new. God promises to go before us and to guide us if we seek to follow him. Written for the 9.09 Team by Sheila Pite 6.06 Easter Sunrise Service (June 1995 edition of magazine) Fifty of us, from nearly two to over seventy years, gathered at Grove Farm, Lodes Road, Holymoorside at 6 a.m. on Easter Sunday to watch a pink glow in the clouds over Chesterfield. We sang just the first verse of 'Led like a lamb to the slaughter’- and thought of Jesus dead and buried in a tomb. Then three women came and gave us the news that 'Jesus is risen' and we all rushed to a tomb (entering an empty barn which was dark except for one candle and some folded grave clothes.) We all experienced something of the excitement of those first disciples and out on the field again we sang 'You're alive, You're alive, You are risen, Hallelujah!' while the sun broke through the clouds. We lit an Easter bonfire and boldly gave the Easter Greeting 'The Lord is Risen, He is Risen indeed.' Our service continued with more singing and rejoicing with streamers, with the renewal of our baptism vows and prayer for Chesterfield. Then while Easter eggs were found breakfast was prepared and we enjoyed sharing food together -a memorable start to Easter Day. Petra Owen's Ordination Service (August 1999 edition of the magazine) "Send down the Holy Spirit upon your servant Petra for the office and work of a priest in your church" This ordination prayer was offered for the very first time in St Thomas' on Saturday 3 July. It was an historic occasion. The Bishop of Repton, the Rt. Revd. David Hawtin, was visiting us for the first time, and it was his first ordination. There were two candidates, Lee Townend from Buxton, who hails from Dronfield, and our own Petra Owen. There was a fine blend of the formal and the informal, summed up in a letter sent by a visitor "Thank you for such a dignified yet homely service. I still feel lively and smiley inside." Philip Herrick was in tremendous form on the organ with the voluntary and opening hymn; most of the sung items were accompanied by our wonderful Youth Band who were applauded at the end. A "home team" including cross and candle bearers, clergy, Readers, teenagers and children made their way to the back to greet the candidates and then the Bishop. Then as the service unfolded, there was solemnity and dignity. The scriptures were read (one beautifully by Lee's 13 year old son Joe), Petra and Lee made solemn declarations. Andy Broom led us in prayer, the candidates had hands laid on them by the Bishop (and many priests) and then were given bibles, chalices and patens to symbolise their ministries of word and sacrament. There was a simple Eucharist. Petra and Lee distributed the bread as the band played amazingly sensitively. When all had received they built up to a crescendo, as we all sang "My Jesus, my Saviour Lord, there is none like you ... Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing Power and majesty, praise to the King..." Rather like a wedding, photos followed and then the buffet beautifully laid on by St Thomas' folk. The sun shone and we could greet and eat outside and everybody seemed to be "lively and smiley inside". God is good in so many ways, not least in giving us Petra and the privilege of witnessing her ordination at St Thomas'. Christopher Frith David Mouncer's Induction Service (October 2003 edition of the magazine)
Bishop Jonathan introduced David and welcomed him and his family and friends to Chesterfield. David responded clearly and sincerely to the questions that were put to him and the promises that he made. The Bishop preached, likening Christians to the fool in a Shakespeare play. The fool is the person who keeps the play moving on and everyone together. We have to keep the Christian faith moving on. All ages were represented at the service with some of the younger children bringing forth the symbols of the Christian faith: water, the Bible, bread and wine. Also there were representatives from the community at the service including the Mayor, heads and deputy heads from the local schools and clergy and readers from the deanery. The hymns and songs were a balance of the traditional and the more modern and were truly uplifting. They were sung with great feeling and had obviously been chosen with care to reflect the ethos of the service. The service ended on a high with St Thomas' version of 'Be Thou my Vision.' After the service there was a lovely spread of food and a chance to meet David and his family and friends in an informal way. A new era has started at St Thomas' and St Peter's and it could not have started in a better way! Sue Ward Furnace (April 2007 edition of the magazine)
‘Furnace’ is a new monthly worship event we have created in order to help you develop a deeper understanding and relationship with God. The idea originally arose back in the summer after we attended Soul Survivor where there were great opportunities to get into worship and praise for God through music, prayers and testimonies. Gareth Simmonds and Becky Riley had a vision and desire to create a similar atmosphere that would take place locally and would happen throughout the year. After consulting Gemma Machin (St Thomas’ Youth Work Co-ordinator) with the idea back in October and getting the thumbs up, preparation and planning for the event began. Myself and Kat Witham were then asked to join the team as we shared the same vision and passion for the event. Then Furnace began. Furnace is aimed to benefit everyone, not just the youth, not just the church and not even just Christians. As we wanted the event to be something that would attract everyone we have incorporated several different aspects into the event. There is some liturgy, prayers, Bible readings and worship that would be found in a Sunday morning service but we also added other aspects such as longer times of thought provoking prayer, quiet places to go and pray, and different prayer activities to develop personal prayers. We also decided it would be beneficial to have testimonies from local people so we can see how God is affecting everyone and working in their lives. Longer times of more adventurous worship have been added to develop an atmosphere of true worship which you can really get into. So there is something here for everyone. In February we hosted the first Furnace, which would be fair to say was a great success. We would like to thank Julie Lomas and Leigh-Anna Bird for their contributions to the event, they both shared their testimonies (both are available for download on the church website) which were very hard-hitting, moving and in one case very tearful as well. There was heaps of positive feedback from the event such as: "…It was a really good evening. The start of something special…" We are hoping the success of the first event would be a bridge for the event to grow and that word of mouth will encourage more and more to come and share the love of God. The first three monthly events are on a pilot scheme and if successful, we will have the event regularly. Sue Ward writes: Where were you on the evening of 23rd February? You missed a wonderful evening of worship and fellowship at St. Thomas’ Church. It was led by the Youth Band with both power and sensitivity. Sets of worship songs were interspersed with testimonies, times of prayer and quiet meditation. The theme of the evening was “Getting through the hard times”. Julie Lomas and Leigh-Anna Bird gave inspiring and moving testimonies on this subject. The evening was relaxed yet prayerful. Some of our young people had put a lot of thought and effort into providing the church community of Chesterfield with a great opportunity for praise and worship. Make sure you do not miss the next Furnace. Put it in your diaries now, and spread the word. Listen to the testimonies here. Pentecost Sunday and the 3rd Brampton Scout Group (August 2007 edition of the magazine)
For information about joining the adventures of the 3rd Brampton (St. Thomas') Scout Group, both youths and potential adult leaders, please contact the Group Scout Leader, Ben Widdowson on 01246 234082 or check out the Group website, www.3rdBrampton.co.uk. Ben Widdowson Community (October 2008 edition of the magazine) The April and May 2008 All Age Services at St Thomas’ were on the theme of ‘Community’. Dawn Edingborough, our Children’s and Families’ Worker, prepared and led the services –with plenty of audience participation! Dawn has written a synopsis of the services to share with the church family. In the services, we’ve looked at the theme of community. We heard the reading Acts Chapter 2:37-47, where we found out about the early Christian church and we looked at this to see if we could learn anything from them that would help us to continue to grow and develop our own healthy, living community at St Thomas’ (and of course St Peter’s). In April’s service we did a fun questionnaire as a way of getting to know each other and we learned that every community is made up of lots of individuals; all very different people, with different backgrounds, likes, dislikes and characteristics. We made a visual display to remind ourselves of this. Each person designed a paper patch to represent themselves and we put them together on a board to show that God can take all our differences and make something beautiful out of them. The finished result was a lovely display- if you haven’t already seen it- go and have a look in the Meeting Room. We also found out that sharing was really important to the first Christian Community. The disciples ate together, looked after each other, and shared possessions. We thought about ways that we could share together more and some of the ideas we came up with included celebrating special events together, listening to each other and helping each other with gardening, shopping and other jobs. Just like the early church, we shared in our worship by praising God together. Then we started to think about sharing with other people. In May’s service we had the same reading and thought about the unity that was evident in the first Christian community. We had a simple visual reminder of this by using a yellow pages directory. On their own the pages are thin, flimsy and weak and really easily torn or destroyed but when all those pages are put together they are virtually indestructible- even the strongest person in our church couldn’t make a tear in it! In the same way we thought that as a church and a community we would be stronger if we were united and worked together. Then we discovered how much love there was in the early church. ‘Something’ made those people happy to look after one another instead of fighting and arguing and happy to share everything they had, rather than just thinking about themselves all the time. That ‘something’ was knowing that Jesus had touched and changed their lives and because of that they changed the way they lived. And that’s a question we might need to ask ourselves from time to time -would the people that we meet in our workplaces and in our day to day lives -would they be able to guess from looking at the way we think and speak and behave that we know that Jesus is a part of our lives? If he is and we really know that, and know it in our hearts and not just in our heads, then it will be reflected in our behaviour. After looking at loving and caring for one another in our church family, we moved on to thinking about loving the wider community and realised that actually getting to know our community is the first step towards learning to love it. We all took part in a lively quiz to see how much we really knew about our community. While the adults thought a bit more about the importance of loving those outside the church and practical ways in which we can show our love, the children decorated paper hearts to take home to remind themselves about showing Jesus’ love to others. We finished our service by praying for our friendships and relationships. We made a long paper chain- linking all our prayers and people together and we added it to last months patchwork display. Quotes from the ‘Community’ Services “Christ has no body on earth but yours No hands but yours No feet but yours Yours are the eyes through which to look At Christ’s compassion to the world Yours are the feet with which he is To go about doing good And yours are the hands with Which he is to bless us now.” A prayer of St Teresa of Avilla “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no-one....wrap it carefully with hobbies and little luxuries, avoid all entanglements and lock it up safe in a casket of your own selfishness. There it will not be broken, it will become unbreakable, impenetrable and irredeemable.” C.S.Lewis Read Alison Shemwell's article on St Thomas' 'Community' here Out of the Mouths of babes... (April 2009 edition of the magazine) From a children's talk at St Peter's The First Sunday in Lent at St Peter’s was memorable in many ways. The spring sunshine was breaking through on a still chilly morning. It was St David’s Day and daffodils had appeared in the churchyard. Matt, our Rector, had came to preach to us. His talk for the children was about Jesus spending forty days in the wilderness in preparation for His ministry. “What”, the rector asked the six children sitting at his feet, “do you think you would need for a trip into the wilderness?” In answer to his question he lifted up a large rucksack from which he produced, first, a pair of stout walking boots. Then followed an industrial-sized torch. The third item was a vacuum flask. “But what,” added Matt, “do we need to help find our way in a strange place?” A map or a compass was an obvious answer but out of his rucksack he took a cross, which he held flat. “This is the only compass we need”, he said. With arm outstretched, he told the congregation, “It points to God and it points to us.” “The cross”, said Matt, “is so important for us all.” At which point, the youngest member of his audience spoke out. “It marks the treasure!” she exclaimed. A wave of laughter rolled towards the altar. We all recognized the unconscious wisdom of Emily’s remark and noted this as a talk not to be forgotten. Ken Franklin Confirmation at St Thomas' (April 2009 edition of the magazine) From a children's talk at St Peter's A Baptism and Confirmation Service was held at St Thomas' Church on Sunday 22 February. The service was conducted by Bishop Jack Nicholls, (who has recently retired as Bishop of Sheffield). The candidates were from St Thomas': Ashley Weatherall (who was also baptised by total immersion), Lisa Collins, Julie Lomas, Ben Marshall and Robin and Hayley Broadbent and St John's Walton: Sophie Green and Stephen Menary. Ashley gave a short testimony. He said that when he and his fiancée Lisa (who was also confirmed) had enquired about getting married at St Thomas’ they had the Alpha course recommended to them –which they went on and completed. He in turn recommended Alpha to anyone else who wanted to know more about the Christian faith saying that many of the questions that he had were answered both by Matt, the Rector, and others taking part. Finally Ashley thanked everyone at St Thomas’ for making Lisa and himself so welcome in the couple of months they had been coming to the church. Listen to the service and see pictures here Confirmation at St Thomas' 2010 (December 2010 edition of the magazine)
Father's Day at St Thomas' 2011 (August 2011 edition of the magazine)
Anour Taylor’s Baptism in the River Derwent (October 2011 edition of the magazine) Matt (our Rector) conducted a short service on the bank of the River Derwent at Chatsworth before immersing Anour in the water. 
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